Contrary to fathers' rights propaganda, father perpetrators (along with stepdads and caretaker boyfrends) dominate the most vicious crimes against children: sexual assault, abusive head trauma, murder-suicides, crimes involving gun violence, and other similar forms of physically violent/fatal child abuse. And as more dads are providing child care (either because mom is working and can't find other care, or because dads are increasingly getting unsupervised visitation/custody through the family courts), more dads are are being found guilty of basic child abuse and neglect as well.

10/25/15 -Because of severe time constraints, we are no longer able to do regular updates at Dastardly Dads. We will occasionally post articles on general studies on child abuse/domestic violence, news pieces involving abusive fathers in custody/visitation situations. We wil also be updating the Killer Dads and Custody lists, while looking for a better, more accessible platform for the data.

7/11/16 - We started this blog on June 24, 2009--just over seven years. And like all good things, it's time to bring this project to a close. It has served its purpose. We have close to 10,500 postings regarding fathers and child abuse, with hundred of those cases being enabled by the family courts, social services, and others in authority. The documentation is clear. It is now time to stop documenting and put that energy into changing the situation that puts thousands of mothers and children at risk every day.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Father charged with killing 8-year-old son during weekend visitation (Durham, North Carolina)

Another father who shouldn't have had any custody/visitation rights. As often happens, no word on his past history of violence, whether his access was court-ordered (and if so, by whom), or the existence of a grieving mother. Dad is identified as THOMAS HARRISON JR.

Durham, N.C. — A Durham father has been charged with felony child abuse after his 8-year-old son died at a Raleigh hospital Sunday night.

Thomas Harrison, Jr., 31, of 4922 Old Page Road in Durham, was arrested and charged Monday.

Investigators said that Jonathan “MileMile” Miles Pittman was abused while staying with Harrison at his Durham apartment over the weekend. A search warrant stated that Pittman was complaining of stomach pain and had vomited several times when he was hospitalized.

An obituary for Pittman, who was a third grader at Wake Christian Academy, said that he loved sports and video games, as well as remote control cars and robots.

“Jonathan was full of joy and a blessing to everyone he met. He had a sweet heart and always looked for ways to help those around him,” the obituary said. “He always had a smile on his face and enjoyed the simple things of live, such as taking his shoes and socks off and throwing them anywhere, frequently in multiple locations.”

Harrison was being held at the Durham County Jail under a $1.5 million bond. His next court appearance was scheduled for April 19.

"Earlier this week, we were made aware of the unexpected death of one of our elementary students. Our school is a big family, and we are heartbroken. Currently we are focused on ministering to our students and helping them during this very difficult time," Mike Woods, head of Wake Christian Academy said in a statement Thursday night. "We are praying for the family and ask for the community to do the same. We trust our God and His love for us. While we don’t always understand His purpose, we know He has a perfect plan for each of our lives."

Authorities said they are waiting on a ruling from the state Medical Examiner to determine if charges against Harrison will be upgraded.

A funeral for Pittman was scheduled for Friday in Raleigh and a service honoring his life was scheduled for Saturday in Durham.